Fit on stage

KOCHI: For the past one and half years, the hum of the treadmill was her lullaby. The burn in her legs during each cardio exercise was her lifeline for the day. Each time her muscles stretched, she would tell herself, “No pain, no gain.” True to these words, Kochi-based fashion designer-turned-entrepreneur Jini Gopal recently won in the women fitness category of the Mr Kerala competition, organised by the Body Building Association of Kerala. 

With no prior experience in the competition field, she took part in the Mr Ernakulam championship in December and won the women’s fitness title. With so little time to prepare for the Mr Kerala championship in January, Jini was equipped with the taste of victory from her previous competition. “I had not thought of winning but I was hopeful,” she says.

However, the preparation till the D-Day was not as easy as it sounded. “My fitness routine spanned 10 hours a day. My day begins at 5.30 am. I work out five hours each in the morning and evening. The routine included cardio, stretching and stamina increasing exercises. My dietary plan included strictly cutting back on fat and sugar,” says Jini. 

But these weren’t sacrifices to her. “I have always enjoyed my workout sessions. The gym always gave me positive vibes. The competition was all about being confident and fit to stand on the stage,” she says. 
Her trainer Ananthuraj of Lifeline Fitness has been an indispensable part in her success in the fitness circuit. 

What would surprise one is that Jini hadn’t spent even an hour in any gym two years ago. “It was my way of getting over a personal loss. I wanted to try new things,” she says.

Trying new things

Jini’s career as a fashion designer and entrepreneur was at an all-time high when her father O P Gopalan was diagnosed with dementia. “My father was my life. His death completely destroyed me. At the time, I was at the peak of my career. I used to do cover pages for fashion and lifestyle magazines in south India. I had also gradually shifted to become an entrepreneur. After my father’s death, I lost all interest in everything I loved to do. And it took me much longer to recover from his departing,” she says.

This gave Jini the time to introspect and decide on what she really wanted in life. “As part of clearing my mind, I stared doing new things. I travelled a lot. And I joined the nearby gym, Lifeline Fitness,” she says.
It was love at first session. “I liked the fitness routine and began going regularly,” she says.
 
Dream

Jini currently runs a garment manufacturing unit ‘Attitude’ in Kochi. At her unit, over 100 women have been trained and employed. “Almost all these women have children and cannot seek employment regularly. This is a secondary income for them,” she says. 

Thanks to the visions of her parents, Jini wants to be the person who works for the betterment of people. “My father raised me to be a self-sufficient human being. His motto was: ‘The only way to success is through education’. My mother Vasanthi’s life theory revolved around hard work. I have taken both of these to heart,” the Kuttikanam native says.